From what others have said, we got Jakar because Lavin went through his mom and others above Smith. And I'm guessing that Jakar's plans had an impact on Hooper, given how tight they are (plus he was at Harvard, as you pointed out). I don't know what Smith's issue is, but perhaps his ultimate goal is to secure an asst job at a place like Kansas. Moreover, hard to any coach for wanting to send their kids to play at places like Kansas or Cuse, who have great coaches and traditions. Though a Kansas or Cuse is not always the best fit for a kid, as there are so many variables.
Robinson sat for several years behind the Morris twins, etc. Didn't ultimately hurt him as he was a lottery pick, even though he may have played more minutes sooner at other programs. Tharpe only really started playing minutes this year; wonder if he has a lock on the starting PG job next season, or if they have others coming in.